Of all the dangerous powers and authority wielded by our government, perhaps the most threatening powers are nuclear weapons. People tend to be scared of things they don't understand, which makes nuclear weapons a perfect fear catalyst. These weapons have the most overwhelming and destructive power known to man; however, nuclear weapons are only safe in countries that seek to maintain harmony and stability. Nuclear weapons are defined as “explosive devices whose destructive potential results from the release of energy that accompanies the splitting or combining of atomic nuclei”. This power is dangerous and unstable in the hands of small irregular countries. Right now there are treaties and laws between the United States and other countries to prevent nuclear war. The Limited Test Ban Treaty, otherwise known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty, was first signed in 1963 by the USSR, the United Kingdom and the United States. The treaty bans nuclear weapons testing in the atmosphere, space or even underwater. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, adopted in 1996, “bans all nuclear explosions in environments for military or civilian purposes.” As of 2007, only three-quarters of countries with nuclear reactors or generators have recognized the treaty. The treaty will not come into force until all countries with a nuclear generator approve it. Although Barrack Obama promised in his presidential campaign that the United States would approve the treaty as soon as possible, the United States has yet to ratify the treaty. Although many of these bans have been adopted, these weapons are obtained illegally from various countries through secret sources such as the black market. Nuclear terrorism… middle of the paper… both themselves and the victimized nation or nations. Radical governments are much less likely to suffer the consequences of their actions, simply due to the cowardly nature of the leaders. The citizens of these countries would be the ones who would pay the price for the horrendous actions of their leaders. The danger inherent in widespread knowledge of the production of nuclear weapons is the likelihood of attacks by extremists who would use this knowledge for selfish and ambitious purposes rather than for the common good. Works Cited DeGroot, Gerard J. “The Bomb: A Life.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2005. Rhodes, Richard. "The Making of the Atomic Bomb." New York: Simon and Schuster, 1986.Steeves, Lynne; Moreno-Riano, Gerson. Viewpoints: Nuclear Proliferation, 2009 Aliprandini, Michael; Goodwin, Chuck. Points of view: nuclear proliferation, 2009